Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade) - Chapter 23-Part 3
Chapter 23-Part 3
The women from other residences seemed to find it odd too, whispering among themselves.
At that moment, an extraordinarily grand carriage approached, prompting everyone to step aside: “The Princess of Jingde has arrived.”
Teng Yuyi was startled; it turned out to be Ah Zhi, the younger sister of Lin Chengyou.
She looked over and saw Princess Ah Zhi alight from the carriage, wearing a veiled hat.
Though she was not yet nine years old, she was already quite tall, full of vitality, and carried herself with graceful dignity.
The servants behind her moved in strict order, showing none of the arrogance common among servants of affluent households.
Princess Ah Zhi quickly entered the residence, and Teng Yuyi, helping Madam Du up the steps, unintentionally glanced up and noticed two short, plump maidservants among Ah Zhi’s attendants.
The two maids had round buns on their heads and wore pomegranate-colored skirts tied around the chest, looking about eight or nine years old, and moved a bit more clumsily than the others. The more Teng Yuyi looked, the more familiar their backs seemed.
Just as she was discreetly observing them, the one on the left seemed to sense her gaze and turned around to look at her.
Teng Yuyi got a clear look at the plump, rosy face and was taken aback: Qi Zhi!
Naturally, the one beside Qi Zhi was Jue Sheng.
Both of them had bright red rouge applied to their lips and were noticeably rounder than the other maidservants.
Qi Zhi cast a brief glance, then quickly lowered his head again.
Teng Yuyi was dumbfounded.
What was going on here?
Given that there was a demon at Caifeng Tower, shouldn’t Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi be busy capturing demons at this time?
Guests were coming and going through the residence, and maidservants were moving in ordered lines.
A servant led Teng Yuyi and her companions toward the main hall.
As they passed by a waterside pavilion, a maid walked over, head lowered, and said, “Miss Teng, the Princess of Jingde wishes to speak with you.”
Madam Du and Du Tinglan stopped, surprised to see two plump maids who looked like they were from Prince Cheng’s household based on their attire.
Mother and daughter were taken aback.
Teng Yuyi, recognizing Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi, said, “Aunt, Sister, you go ahead to the main hall. I’ll join you shortly.”
Madam Du, concerned, whispered, “The Princess of Jingde is Prince Cheng’s beloved daughter. I’ve heard that Prince Cheng and his wife are strict in their upbringing, and though the young princess is lively, she is noble yet not arrogant. I don’t know what she wishes to speak about, but if anything becomes difficult, send word to your aunt.”
Teng Yuyi nodded, and Jue Sheng and Qi Zhi led the way.
Once they reached a secluded rock garden, they couldn’t hold back any longer and sighed heavily, “Wearing this is really uncomfortable. Miss Teng, why are you at the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence?”
“That’s what I should be asking you,” Teng Yuyi said curiously.
“Why are you dressed like this?”
Juesheng raised his hand to wipe his sweat, but Teng Yuyi stopped him.
“Careful, you’ll smudge the rouge on your face. Here, use this and wipe gently.”
Pouting, Jue Sheng took Teng Yuyi’s handkerchief.
“Such a bother. It’s all because Senior Brother forced us to come. Princess Ah Zhi heard that all her little friends would be attending Old Madam Duan’s birthday banquet, and she couldn’t resist sneaking out of the palace. Senior Brother was worried about her safety, so he made us dress as maids and follow her.”
Teng Yuyi couldn’t help but laugh, “You two make for quite the lovely sight in these outfits, even more striking than the other maidservants.”
“Miss Teng, please don’t tease us,” Qi Zhi said, clumsily wiping his sweat.
“Didn’t Jue Sheng remind you this morning? The demon’s next target is you. Until Senior Brother subdues the demon, it’s best that Miss Teng doesn’t go out.”
Jue Sheng tugged at Qi Zhi’s sleeve, and Qi Zhi suddenly remembered that General Duan was Miss Teng’s fiancé.
Since it was Madam Duan’s birthday, naturally, Miss Teng had to attend the banquet.
Pretending not to notice their little exchange, Teng Yuyi smiled and asked, “Did you find anything during the day? What exactly is this monster?”
“We did. The demon that attacked us last night was a bird demon from Mount Zhongnan—a golden bird with hundreds of years of cultivation. After transforming into human form, it often prowls the markets under the name ‘Golden-Clad Young Master,’ charming courtesans—”
Both Qi Zhi and Jue Sheng blushed.
Recalling the demon’s flirtatious demeanor, Teng Yuyi coughed lightly, “Golden-Clad Young Master? Such an elegant name. Is this demon harder to deal with than the tree demon last time?”
“Certainly. But the real threat isn’t the Golden-Clad Young Master; it’s another evil spirit sealed with it—Senior Brother calls it the Corpse Fiend.”
“Corpse Fiend? What is that?”
“Senior Brother doesn’t know much either. Today, he and his men searched every Taoist temple in Chang’an for records and finally uncovered a clue.
It turns out that the formation in Pingkang Ward was set up a hundred years ago by a blind Taoist from the Dongming Temple, who happens to be Dongming Temple’s founding master.”
Teng Yuyi pictured the five bumbling, pale-faced Taoist priests from Dongming Temple.
Who would have thought their founder was a blind Taoist?
“The blind Taoist was named Wu Chenzi. He was said to have extraordinary skills and subdued the demon in Pingkang Ward, but he was gravely injured himself. With his last breath, he set up the formation and then passed away. Before he died, he wanted to record the matter in the temple’s chronicles, but neither of his two disciples could read. Being blind, writing was more challenging for him than for others, so in the end, only a few rough notes were left.”
“Senior Brother found that chronicle, but it was unclear. All we know is that the Golden-Clad Young Master and the Corpse Fiend were both subdued by Wu Chenzi. This demon and this fiend are both extraordinarily powerful. The other night, we only encountered the Golden-Clad Young Master; the Corpse Fiend broke free of the formation long ago and left no trace.”
Qi Zhi added, “Miss Teng, this demon is no small matter. Whenever you go out, remember to carry the talismans we drew for you and keep the jade sword with you at all times.”
